Crimson Rain part 1
by GLEN RUDE
Summary: Derek's world revolves around his girlfriend Sophia, his friend Steve, football and playing the guitar. He still manages to keep his grades up through it all. The normal life of a teenager. Things may not stay "normal" for long...


**Crimson Rain** **part 1**

School has just gotten out for the day at Northland High School. It is a surprisingly mild day for being this late in October. It is also a Friday which explains the reason why the kids storm the parking lot with an extra amount of exuberance. Friday is a great day when you are a teenager! There is a buzz going on all day as they anticipate football games, parties, hook-ups and all those other all-important plans with friends. This is the scene that is taking place as Derek spots his friend Steve walking through the parking lot. Steve and Derek are both seniors at Northland High. They met each other freshman year when they both went out for the Crimson Warriors football team. They both made the team, Steve as a wide receiver and Derek as quarterback. They have been friends and teammates ever since.

Despite the fact that Steve and Derek are both on the football team they are quite different individuals. Steve has short blond hair, blue eyes, a tan that never seems to fade and a small earring in his left ear. He is extremely outgoing, and football and girls are really all that he cares about, besides his cherry red 1976 Mustang convertible that he washes virtually every day. Steve rarely ever does his homework, but he knows that the teachers will always pass him anyway. No teacher would want to be the reason the team lost the "big game" because it lost one of its "star players."

Derek, on the other hand, has medium length brown hair and eyes. He enjoys being on the football team but it does not completely encompass his entire life. He is quite a bit more introspective than Steve. Derek loves classic rock music and spends hours listening to it and practicing songs on his guitar. Derek does do his school work and earns good grades. He could take the easy road like Steve does, Derek is the quarterback after all, but he doesn't want anything given to him that he hasn't earned himself. That is a trait that he picked up from his father.

"So, Derek are you goin' to Rob's Halloween par-tay tomorrow night or what!?"

"I don't know Steve; I thought I might just sit this one out. I'm really not in the mood."

"Dude, are you crazy!? This party is gonna be o! Rob's parent are out of town, so the whole house is his! You KNOW it's gonna be all kinds of honeys up in there! Especially after we win the game tonight! You ain't still mopin' around because of Sophia are you? Man, that girl has done a number on you! Got you always walkin' around with your head down all the time. There will be some girls at the party that will help you lose these blues, if you know what I mean. You don't have to worry about arguing with them either, heck you don't even need to talk to them the next day! Ha ha!"

Derek didn't want to admit to Steve that he was right. Steve might be an arrogant jock, but he was perceptive, and he knew Derek. Derek and his girlfriend Sophia had been on the rocks lately. They were still a couple and everything but they had been fighting a lot. Derek didn't even know what about most of the time. He did know that he still cared about Sophia deeply and wanted to make things work. When he thought about the conversation they had last night it really bothered him. Sophia just hadn't been herself lately. Plus, she wasn't at school today. He almost texted her but he was trying to give her some space. Derek was sure that she would be at the game. That would be his chance to set things right. Maybe the big lights and excitement would help put things in perspective. Derek sighed and realized how stressed out he was thinking about Sophia. Sometimes he wished he could be more like Steve and just go around not caring about things and living life for the moment. Maybe his greatest curse was that he did care….maybe too much.

"Go ahead man, you can tell me all about it on Monday. Speaking of the game, we better get to practice" Derek says.

"I don't need to practice to waste those chumps tonight dude! Ha ha!" Steve says. "This is about to be a massacre! But I'll still go to practice, I don't want to disappoint any of the cheerleaders that loooooooove to watch me move!" Steve did a little dance step and swung his hips.

"You're sick bro!" Derek said while laughing.

Derek and Steve change into their gear and the team has a great practice. Derek put the thoughts of Sophia out of his mind and focuses on the task at hand. Derek knows that Steve is right, there is no way that the team will lose tonight. The boys work together like a well-oiled machine. Every player knows their job and does it perfectly. Everybody has their eyes on the state trophy, especially coach Johnson. He knows how good his team is better than anyone. This is probably the most talented group of players that he has ever coached. He keeps practice short and sweet. Everyone knows what they're doing, so there is no need to risk any injuries.

After practice, Steve hops in the "Stang," as he calls it, revs up the engine, VROOOOOOOOOOM! VROOOOOOOOOOOM, then lets the top down, turns up the bass and finally puts on his shades and smiles as he screeches out of the parking lot. Derek laughs and then turns around to walk home. The neighborhood that he lives in is only a few blocks from the school so it only takes him a few minutes to get there. Once Derek gets home he talks to his parents for a while. They have just gotten home from work and are getting ready to go out to eat and maybe do some shopping. Derek already knew they would be doing this before he even got home. They do the same exact thing every Friday night. This means, of course, that they never make it to any of Derek's games. He always ask them though anyway.

"Sure you guys don't want to come to the game tonight?" Derek asks.

"You know I don't enjoy that sport Derek," his mother says.

"I'll make it to the next game son, I promise," his father says.

Derek knows it's a lie. His father does whatever his mother tells him to do and he would never do anything to disappoint her. Derek is used to it though. "Maybe that's how they have stayed together so long," he thinks. "At least they are not divorced like Steve's parents."

"It's just so brutal. You KNOW I can't stand to see the sight of blood either," Derek's mother says.

"I don't mind seeing blood," exclaims Derek, "as long as it is not mine, and I don't plan on losing any blood tonight, or anytime soon."


End file.
